Yesterday I ordered the TZero MKIII because REL was out of inventory of the T/5i in black. After watching Paul’s videos and REL’s as well, and noting that they have a 60-day return policy, I decided it was worth the investment and I can always return and upgrade later.
My setup is probably considered entry level to most, but it is what I can afford and what my bean counter (God bless her) will abide. I have a pair of Polk RTi-A3 bookshelf speakers, which I like for their range and sound. Power is from a Denon DRA-800H 2-channel receiver. I also have a turntable and CD deck, and use the USB port on the Denon to play lossless FLAC and WAVE files. So my music library is about 50% classical (vinyl and CD) and the rest 60s and 70s folk and rock (also vinyl and CD). The room is fairly small (220 sf and 8’ ceilings), hardwood floors, and also accommodates a TV, small grand piano, bookshelves and furniture. I have no plans on using anything other than my current soundbar to support TV sound.
This is my first post here, and although I know I’ll have to wait and see if I think the TZero is adequate, I thought I would get your opinions as well. Thanks.
I had two T5i’s running in my room, first with LS50’s and then the Reference One’s. With the reference One’s there was little to no need for the Subs and I sold them. The bass from the speakers in my room was about the same as the subs so they didnt make sense.
I would get and app on your phone and look at what your low frequencies are like in your room, then see how that compares to the TZero specs.
My guess is that those TZero’s will not add enough to make it worth it. I don’t think even the T5i’s would either. I suspect you’ll get way more value with a T9 or maybe even one of their HT Subs.
@ron_petrich:
Welcome to the PSA Forum, you are sure to get many opinions here and some helpful advice as well. I just added REL T5i (Black) subs to my den system. I am currently running them in with about 17 hours of break-in on them. I set-up a REL break in playlist on Tidal so that I could set it and forget it. Let me know if you’d like me to share it, and I’ll forward it in a PM. Out of the box they were pretty stiff, and the run-in seems to be doing its magic. It’s also a good way to ensure there isn’t a problem with them. I intend to let them run 24 hours straight and then tighten the driver mounting.
My den is similar in size to your room being about 14’x16’ with 10’ ceilings. Flooring is hardwood oak with carpet over it. Walls and ceiling are plaster. I replaced my dreadful AV system with new digital/streaming oriented system. The focus was on good sound with ease of use, more for casual listening while relaxing. In this situation I prefer a simple, system approach, (read minimize the number of boxes). The system is centered around Aerial Acoustics 5T speakers. They are driven by a Hegel H120 with streaming provided by a BlueSound Node 2i. CDs are played via a Cambridge CXC V. 2 transport which feeds the Hegel via a BJC coax.
The Aerial Acoustics are right sized for my room and listening tastes. Bass on them is reasonable down to the low 50hz range. I was curious if adding a modest subwoofer would flesh out the bottom end slightly with out overdriving my den. The latter being my primary concern, as I prefer an over damped versus wooly bottom end. In a room this size ultimate low end frequency extension was not a goal, nor is it realistic. I’m not into “bass drama”. My listening preferences lean towards innovative jazz with properly reproduced double bass, thus flat response down to 42hz is the goal.
As the T5i is still breaking in I will withhold my opinion.
Which woofer/subwoofer is right for you? Well, only you can say. Partnering it to the room is fundamental, everything else will be secondary. Seems to me you are on the right path. When I heard the T7i and the T9i I thought they were too much bass for my room. If your goal is flat response down to 20hz this is not the answer. If you seek to flesh out the bottom end down to 38 hz, mol, the TZero may well be. Sorry to say looks as though I got one of the last immediately available black REL T5i’s. I did not audition or consider the TZero. Eagerly anticipating your sharing of the integration of the TZero with your system and room.
BTW due to the ongoing snow storm here I am listening to the sT5i break in this morning with Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, followed by YELLO.
Here is a link to a REL page where you choose the brand and model of your speakers and room size and they make a recommendation of which of their subs would be the best match to your setup. I believe that they take into account the speed of your woofers.
Unfortunately, their list of speaker brands is limited and Polk is not one of them.
That is a nice tool, but in my case it recommended the S/510 which would over power my room, otherwise I would have purchased one. Jury is still out on the T5i as it is breaking in. You are correct as damping, or speed, is a concern when partnering with my speakers and satisfying my preferences.
Welcome @ron_petrich I think you may find the TZero to be less than what you need but it’s so room and your preferences dependent that taking the 60 day trial and running it in until it’s possible to do a good evaluation seems prudent. I hope it works out so you don’t have to do anything else but that’s never how it works in this hobby if my experience is how things work. Good Luck! Jim
